Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013 AnnouncedGroup includes 14 inductees, with 12 former student-athletes and two coaches

June 13, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame will enshrine 14 new members this fall, with 12 former student-athletes and two coaches among the honorees. The class will be inducted Sept. 27 at a dinner and will be introduced to the public at halftime of the Ohio State home football game against Wisconsin Sept. 28.

The hall of fame was created in 1977 and has inducted 269 men through 2012. Daniell will be the 109th former football player to be inducted, while Cooper is the fifth former football coach to receive a spot in the hall of fame. Penn brings the total of former basketball players to 28 and Pichler will be the 19th diver enshrined. Beaumont will be the 15th former baseball Buckeye to be inducted and Rowlands brings the total number of wrestlers in the elite group to 12.

Women were first inducted into the hall in 1993, with 100 inductees enshrined through 2012. Müeller is the seventh former field hockey player to join the prestigious list, while Kossowsky and Rincon bring the total for their respective sports to five each. Miller and Murray are just the second inducted for soccer and pistol, respectively, and Sweeny will be the first coach of a co-ed sport to be enshrined.

The Athletics Hall of Fame Dinner, which will be a joint dinner for the men and women, will be held in the Archie M. Griffin Ballroom at the Ohio Union Sept. 27. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails; dinner will follow at 6:30 p.m. Individual tickets are $75, with tables of eight available for $600. Tickets will go on sale July 1. Payment will not be accepted at the door; reservations and payment must be submitted by Sept. 13. Registration information will be available on OhioStateBuckeyes.com later this month.

Matt Beaumont Baseball 1992-94A three-year letterwinner for Ohio State from 1992-94, Matt Beaumont went 11-1 and led the Big Ten in strikeouts (104) en route to First Team All-America honors in 1994. He was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in 1994 and First Team All-Big Ten in 1993 and 1994. Beaumont became the first Buckeye to record more than 100 strikeouts in a season since Joe Sadelfeld accomplished the feat in 1967. He tossed a complete game to pick up the win in the Buckeyes' 6-1 win over BYU in the 1994 Atlantic II Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., and helped the Buckeyes to a Big Ten Tournament championship in 1994.

Beaumont, from Rittman, Ohio, ranks ninth all-time at Ohio State in strikeouts (245), 10th in wins (25), 13th in ERA (3.71) and 17th with 249.2 innings pitched. Beaumont was selected in the fourth round of the 1994 amateur draft by the California Angels. He made it to Triple-A before ending his minor league career in 2001.

Hugo Boisvert Hockey 1997-99Hugo Boisvert, a three-year letterwinner for the Ohio State men's hockey team, is the first two-time All-American in program history. A two-time First Team All-CCHA selection, he was a First Team All-American in 1998, earning Second Team All-America accolades in 1999 when he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Boisvert was the Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year in 1998 after leading the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in scoring with 47 points. A member of the 1997 CCHA All-Rookie Team, Boisvert ended his three-year Buckeye career with 147 points, with 58 goals and 89 assists.

Boisvert, from St. Eustache, Quebec, helped Ohio State reach both the NCAA tournament and NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in 1998 and was a part of the squad that returned to the national tournament the next year. The 1998 team, which won 18 of its last 21 games, advanced to the CCHA championship game before falling to No. 1-ranked Michigan State in double overtime, but then beat the Spartans in overtime in the NCAA West Regional to earn a spot in the Frozen Four.

He was a two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten selection. Boisvert left Ohio State after his junior year to sign a contract with the NHL Atlanta Thrashers. He spent the 1999-00 season with the Canadian National Team before competing in the IHL and AHL the next three campaigns. Boisvert then moved to Germany, where he continues to play. He skated for the Dresden Ice Lions the last three years.

Dan Cheney Lacrosse 1957-59Dan Cheney was a three-year letterwinner for the Ohio State men's lacrosse team from 1957-59. A co-captain as a senior in 1959, he picked up USILA Honorable Mention All-America accolades and a spot on the Midwest All-Star First Team. Cheney, a midfielder, had a career-high 20 goals, adding three assists for 23 points, his last campaign, including four tallies in a win over Kenyon.

He was a member of the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in the Army. He served as the brigade dental surgeon for more than 6,000 men and was the only dentist to command a medical company during the war in Vietnam. Cheney earned decorations including the Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Medical Badge, Bronze Star and Presidential Unit Citation. He has continued to serve in the Army Reserves and carries the rank of Colonel. Cheney graduated from the Ohio State College of Dentistry and is an oral surgeon who has practiced in Washington since 1972. He has been honored for his work with a dental outreach program in Guatemala.

John Cooper Football Coach 1988-00John Cooper, a previous inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, now enters Ohio State's Athletics Hall of Fame after a coaching career that included guiding Ohio State to 111 victories and five Top 10 national finishes between 1988-2000.

Explosive offenses and excellent defenses were the hallmarks of Cooper's 13 years as Ohio State head coach. The only coach to win Rose Bowls as coach of a Pac-10 school (Arizona State in 1987) and a Big Ten school (Ohio State in 1997), Cooper's Buckeye teams still own the top three single-season passing totals in school history and four of the Top 5 total offense totals.

He led the Buckeyes to three Big Ten championships - his three teams combined for nine total conference titles - and his 1996 Ohio State team defeated Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl and finished 11-1 and No. 2 in the nation. His 1998 team also finished 11-1 and No. 2 with a win in the Sugar Bowl.

Cooper grew up in the Knoxville, Tenn., suburb of Powell. He spent two years in the U.S. Army after graduating and then went to Iowa State University where he played on the football team and served as a team captain as a senior. He graduated in 1962.

Cooper was named the Associated Press national Coach of the Year in 1986 and he earned similar honors from the Sporting News, Football Writers Football News and the Pac-12 Conference during his 39 years as a collegiate coach. He has an overall record of 192-84-6. Cooper, who served as president of the American Football Coaches Association, is a scout for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals.

Ninett Kossowsky Rowing 2002-06Ninett Kossowsky, a four-year letterwinner for the Ohio State rowing team and member of the first varsity eight, was a key component of the 2006 Big Ten Championship team, leading Ohio State to its second Big Ten title. In 2006, Kossowsky was named the Big Ten Rowing Athlete of the Year, only the second Ohio State rower to earn the honor after Conny Kirsch in 2002. She also earned First Team CRCA All-American, First Team All-Central Region and First Team All-Big Ten honors for her efforts throughout the 2006 season.

A four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete, Kossowsky earned Second Team All-Central Region and Second Team All-Big Ten honors during her junior season. Kossowsky graduated from Ohio State in August 2007 with a degree in Business Administration. She remained an avid athlete, competing in the 2009 Frankfurt Marathon and the 2010 Hamburg triathlon and Wiesbaden Ironman.

Melissa Miller Soccer 2003-06A letterwinner for the Ohio State women's soccer team from 2003-06, Melissa Miller became the Buckeyes' first two-time All-American, garnering second team accolades in 2003 and 2004. Miller earned All-Big Ten honors all four seasons, picking up first team laurels in 2004 and 2006 and second team honors in 2003 and 2005 in addition to NSCAA First Team All-Great Lakes Region selections in 2003 and 2004.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Miller anchored the Buckeye defense all four seasons, making 84 career starts, and helped guide the Buckeyes to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004 and a Big Ten Tournament championship in 2004. As a freshman in 2003, Miller helped the Buckeyes to nine shutouts before bolstering a Buckeye back line that picked up 13 clean sheets in 2004, a number that currently sits tied for the program record.

Saskia Müeller Field Hockey 2003-06Three-time All-American midfielder Saskia Müeller finished her career in the Top 5 in the Buckeye record books in career assists (45), game winning goals (8), games started (73) and single-season assists with 19 points as a junior. She also was a three-time All-Region honoree and All-Big Ten selection. During her senior year in 2006, Müeller was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the first Buckeye in program history to earn the top conference honor. During her senior season, Müeller was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week honoree, finishing fourth in the conference in points, tying her career high with nine goals, including three of which were gamewinners. She guided the Scarlet and Gray to a Big Ten regular-season championship, while starting all 19 games.

Müeller also succeeded in the classroom, earning the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor during the 2006-07 season. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and four-time OSU Scholar Athlete.

Laura Murray Pistol 1997-00Laura Murray was a three-time All-American, two-time individual and national champion and Big Ten Medal of Honor winner for Ohio State pistol from 1997-2000. The pivot point of the emergence of Ohio State pistol, Murray made a commitment to shoot in every event (even those normally shot by males), leading Ohio State to its first open national championship and first women's national championship in 2000.

Murray had a breakout performance at the 1999 NRA National Championships, claiming first-place finishes with the Women's Sport Pistol and Open Standard Pistol teams as well as posting a first-place finish in Standard Pistol as an ROTC Individual. Additionally, she placed second as an individual in Women's Sport Pistol and third with the Women's Air Pistol team.

At the 2000 NRA National Championships, Murray led Ohio State to its first Open and Women's National Championships, also becoming the first Ohio State student-athlete to capture the Women's Air Pistol and Women's Sport Pistol Individual Championships. In addition, she placed first as a member of the Open Free Pistol, Open Standard Pistol, Women's Air Pistol and Women's Sports Pistol teams. For the second consecutive year, Murray placed first in Standard Pistol as an ROTC Individual and third as a member of the Women's Air Pistol team.

For her performances at the 2000 NRA National Championships, Murray earned First Team All-America honors in Standard Pistol and Women's Sport Pistol and Second Team All-America honors in Women's Air Pistol.

An Academic All-Big Ten, three-time Ohio State Scholar Athlete and Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor winner, Murray was also an exceptional student, receiving a nursing degree from Ohio State in 2000. A member of the Navy ROTC, Murray was a member of the Anchor and Chain Honor Society (1997-00) and a recipient of the Midshipman Star Award (1997-00). Upon graduation, Murray was employed as a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Officer, serving as a Staff Nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit (2000-01), Women's and Children Unit (2001-02) and Postanesthesia Care Unit (2002-04) at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., before moving on to serve as a Staff Nurse in the Medical Surgical Unit (2008-10) at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, N.C.

James "Scoonie" Penn Basketball 1999-00James "Scoonie" Penn played for two seasons (1999, 2000) at Ohio State following a transfer from Boston College. A tireless competitor, Penn helped orchestrate one of the most monumental turnarounds in Ohio State and Big Ten history.

As a senior, Penn was awarded with the Francis Pomeroy Award, given to the best player in the country under 6-feet tall. He was one of the most well-rounded players nationally during his time with the Buckeyes. In just two years at Ohio State, Penn set the Ohio State record for career 3-pointers made with 153, a mark that is now tied for fourth all-time. Penn's 88 made 3s in 1998-99 is the fifth-best total in a single season at Ohio State.

The two-time captain, who was named captain before playing his first game as a Buckeye, Penn was named co-team MVP along with Michael Redd following the 1998-99 season, and again following the 2000 season.

A consensus Second Team All-America selection in 2000 and two-time First Team All-Big Ten guard, Penn is tied for the No. 20 spot in single season scoring in the Ohio State record book with 609 points scored during his junior year (1998-99). Though he was an accomplished scorer, Penn was best known for setting up his teammates and playing defense. He recorded 284 assists in two seasons with the Buckeyes. He was credited with 70 thefts as a junior and 66 as a senior. Both totals are among the Top 10 single-season efforts in Ohio State history. In both his junior and senior seasons, Penn led the Buckeyes in both assists and steals. In 66 career games, Penn became a 1,000-point scorer in an OSU uniform. He finished with 1,076 career points as a Buckeye for a scoring average of 16.3 points per game. He is one of three Buckeyes in history to score 1,000 or more points in just two years in an Ohio State uniform.

Over the history of Value City Arena (1999-present), Penn is one of just six Buckeyes to reach 30 or more points on Ohio State's home court. He tallied 30 points vs. Wisconsin Feb. 24, 1999 and his 12 assists vs. Florida A&M Dec. 4, 1999, also is an arena record. Against Oakland University Nov. 13, 1998, the first game played at Value City Arena, Penn recorded the first assist in the building's history.

David Pichler Diving 1989-92A four-time All-American, David Pichler was crowned Ohio State's first NCAA champion on the 10-meter dive in 1991. As one of 11 divers under Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame head coach Vince Panzano to take home an individual NCAA title, Pichler captured the win with a final score of 763.95. Recognized as one of the top divers in Big Ten history, he earned five Big Ten titles during his Buckeye career. In 1991, Pichler scored 591.75 points to win the 3-meter Big Ten championship as well as 699.00 points to place first on the 10-meter apparatus. The following year Pichler only improved. He swept the individual diving events at the 1992 Big Ten Championships, earning wins on the 1-meter, 3-meter and 10-meter dives. As a result of his success in conference, Pichler received Big Ten Diver of the Year accolades in 1991 and 1992.

Among his greatest individual accomplishments, however, remains representing the United States at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. In Atlanta, he competed on the 10-meter dive and placed sixth overall with 607.11 points. For the 2000 Olympic Games, Pichler's leadership role with Team USA grew and he was selected by fellow teammates and coaches to serve as team captain. Also in Sydney, he expanded his event lineup to include the 10-meter, synchronized 10-meter and synchronized springboard events. His best Olympic finish remains in the synchronized springboard event where he and partner Troy Dumais placed fourth with a score of 77.52. Pichler is part of an illustrious group of 46 members of the Ohio State men's swimming and diving program who have had the opportunity to represent their country on the Olympic level.

Monica Rincon Tennis 1999-02Monica Rincon was an All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree for the women's tennis team, just the second Buckeye to earn multiple all-conference honors. Rincon competed in the NCAA Doubles Championship twice, reaching the quarterfinal round in 2001 to earn All-America accolades, as she and doubles partner Kristy Dascoli became the first All-Americans in program history. The duo was ranked a program-record fifth nationally during the season.

She ended her career with 101 singles wins, ranking second in program history, and qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship as a senior in 2002, just the second Buckeye to earn a spot in the national singles tournament. Rincon tied the program record for doubles wins in a single season with 30 in 2001 while her 30 singles wins in 2000 ranked second all-time. She ended her career tied for third in program history with 92 doubles victories. Rincon and the Buckeyes earned a berth in the NCAA Team Championship each of her four campaigns.

Rincon received the Midwest Region Senior Award and the Arthur Ashe, Jr., Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for the Midwest Region from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, which also lauded here as the 2000 Midwest Region Player to Watch. She was a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten choice. Rincon spent time as a volunteer coach with the Buckeyes following graduation.

Tommy Rowlands Wrestling 2001-04The first four-time All-American in Ohio State wrestling history, Tommy Rowlands, a native of Hilliard, Ohio, was a two-time NCAA heavyweight champion in 2002 and 2004 under head coach Russ Hellickson. Lettering for the Buckeyes from 2001-04, Rowlands won a pair of Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004. The two-time All-Big Ten honoree (2002 and 2004) immediately showed promise on the collegiate level when he was recognized as the 2011 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. During all four years of his collegiate career, Rowlands competed in the prestigious NWCA All-Star event, which pitted the No. 1 and No. 2 wrestlers in each weight class against each other. Rowlands was undefeated in the event. All-time, Rowlands' 44 victories at the conclusion of his senior season places him fourth on the Ohio State season wins list. During that same season, Rowlands finished his campaign with a .977 win percentage after posting a 44-1 record. His 203.5 team points compiled in 2004 remain an Ohio State best, while his 228 takedowns in his final year also is tops in Buckeye history. In the career ranks, Rowlands' 164 total wins is the best in program annals. Rowlands' career team points (702) and takedowns (705) continues to be the pinnacle of success in Ohio State history, while his career win percentage of .921 places him in the Top 4. Following his collegiate career at Ohio State, Rowlands had a successful international run as a six-time member of the U.S. National Team and was a two-time Olympic alternate in 2008 and 2012.

James Sweeney Pistol Coach 1986-87, 1999-PresentJames Sweeney has served as head coach of the Ohio State pistol team for more than 15 years, coaching the squad to five NRA Collegiate National Championship titles and coaching seven student-athletes to 23 NRA Collegiate Individual Championships. Throughout his time with the pistol team, Sweeney has coached one Ohio State Female Athlete of the Year (Teresa Meyer), two Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor recipients (Laura Murray and Jessica Marshall), 33 All-Americans and 39 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

Sweeney led the pistol team to its first NRA Collegiate National Championship in his first year as head coach, also guiding his student-athletes to national titles in free pistol, standard pistol, sport pistol and women's air pistol that same year. Under Sweeney's guidance, the women's pistol team has captured four NRA National Championships (2000, 2004, 2005 and 2009). In 2003 and 2011, Sweeney was named the NRA Distinguished Coach of the Year.

Sweeney's Ohio State coaching contributions date back to 1960-62, when he served as an assistant coach with the men's gymnastics program. He left Ohio State to serve as the head coach for men's gymnastics at Washington State (1962-66) before returning to Columbus as the head coach for the men's gymnastics program (1966-77) and as the head coach and advisor for the spirit program (1968-69). He was honored as the NCAA Mid-East Men's Gymnastics Coach of the Year in 1968.

Sweeney has been actively involved in the shooting community for over 30 years, both as an active competitor and as the Director of the State of Ohio International Pistol Championships as well as of leagues in air gun, action pistol and bullseye. His contributions to society do not end in the shooting community, as he served as a foster parent for 16 years, working with children of various ages until they were adopted or could return to their homes.

Sweeney graduated from Ohio State in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, continuing his studies at his alma mater and earning his master's degree in physical education (curriculum design) in 1960. In 1965, Sweeney graduated from Ohio State with a doctorate degree in physical education (educational psychology).

While studying at Ohio State, Sweeney also competed on the freshman football team (1952-53) under head coach Woody Hayes before joining the men's gymnastics team (1953-56) after rehabilitating from a football injury. He was a finalist on still rings at the 1956 NCAA Championships.

Over the years since his graduation from Ohio State, Sweeney has written seven publications (1960-76), served as an assistant professor at Washington State (1962-66), and served as an instructor (1960-62), associate professor (1979-94), assistant professor (1966-79) and associate professor emeritus (1994-Present) at Ohio State in addition to his responsibilities as head coach of the pistol team.